


All Around Me

by mohinikapuahi



Series: Crash & Burn [5]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, M/M, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-17
Updated: 2011-07-17
Packaged: 2017-10-21 11:49:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/224861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mohinikapuahi/pseuds/mohinikapuahi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Title: All Around Me<br/>Prompt: H/C prompt - Death<br/>Rating: G<br/>Beta: Alassenya<br/>Warning: Spoilers for Season 1<br/>Summary: Loss is never easy<br/>Authors Notes: Written for HC Bingo on Dreamwidth</p>
            </blockquote>





	All Around Me

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Notes: This is part 5 in my 'Crash and Burn' Alternate Universe. From the first part my timeline differs from what is and will be canon. In this fic there is the death of a major supporting canon character, if you will find this disturbng please do not go on - consider yourself warned. This AU has been created for my HC Bingo card over at Dreamwidth, and as such will have at least 15 parts.  
> Thank Yous: My eternal thanks go to my beta Alassenya for taking my disjointed ramblings and turning it into a cohesive story that is worth reading.

Life in Hawaii quickly fell into an easy pattern.

Over the next week, Danny barely allowed Steve out of bed and then only as far as the sofa. Steve was a model patient. Occasionally he bucked the care being given but in general he did as he was told ... and if his hair was wet and he smelled like salt water when Danny returned from shopping neither of them gave any signs of acknowledging it.

The only time Danny left the house was for groceries and his job interview, which, as interviews went, was little more than a formality. The HPD was happy to have him transfer back and he was to be assigned directly to the task force upon his return.

Danny called Grace every day, and she talked with both her father and Steve. Danny called Rachel every day too, but she was never available to speak to them, according to her mother (who had been giving the ironic title of Watch-Granny by Steve), but she was doing well at home and the baby was thriving.

That was why, when their phones rang one after the other that afternoon, Steve was surprised to see Grace's phone numbers flashing on the screen of his own phone. They'd spoken not two hours previously, at the usual time, and Grace had seemed happy enough then. Something must have happened - but why was she calling him and not her father? The hairs on the back of Steve’s neck stood on end. He lifted the phone and took a deep breath before he pressed the button.

“Step-Steve?” Grace’s voice was broken and he could hear the tears she was trying to control.

“Gracie, darling, what is it? Are you alright?” Stupid - of course she wasn't, she was upset. He was immediately alert and on edge, standing up and moving away from Danny to give him privacy for his own call. Glancing behind him he made sure he was far enough away from Danny to talk to quietly to Grace. If she had called him and not her father there must be a reason.

“Gracie, honey, it’s me, do you want Danno?” He spoke calmly, trying to soothe her.

“His phone was busy, I knew you would be there,” She sobbed into the phone.

“What’s wrong, honey? What’s happened?” Was she in danger? He concentrated, trying to listen to what was behind her voice - background noise, traffic, anything.

“It’s mummy, something’s wrong.” Her voice dissolved into tears.

“Darling, please, talk to me baby. What happened?” He walked across the yard to stand on the beach, the comfortable feel of the soft sand beneath his feet, grounding him, soothing his need to fold Grace in his strong arms and protect her from whatever was hurting her.

“It’s mummy. They won’t tell me what’s happened, but everybody is crying and sad.” Her voice cracked again. “I think mummy's dead - Grandmother said they'd have to have the funeral on Friday. She’s my mummy, and they won’t tell me anything. Make them tell me, Step-Steve, please make them tell me.”

Steve’s heart broke. Poor Grace. He had been older when it had happened to him, but he remembered the pain. He remembered what it was like to lose a mother, to be cast adrift, to be wounded and confused and kept in the dark. He knew what it was like when adults thought that ignorance was a protection. It was never a protection; never a kindness

“Gracie, honey, I’m going to go and get your Danno. He’ll call your grandmother and find out what’s going on. Then he'll call and talk to you. Can you be a brave little girl for just a while longer?”

There was no answer for a few seconds. He strode back to the house, wanting to find Danny, hoping to help him through the terrible impact of this news. What he saw made him realize that it was too late: Danny already knew. He was crumpled against the kitchen wall, phone gripped in his hand, white as a sheet, his eyes closed. It must have been Rachel's mother who had called him.

“Step-Steve?” Gracie’s plaintive voice drew him out of his horrified silence.

“Yes, honey?” He barely heard her words as he watched his lover unravelling.

“I have to go, Grandmother says she wants to talk to me. “

“Are you sure you are alright?”

“Please look after Danno for me? He’ll be sad, he never has anyone to help him when he is sad,” she sobbed.

“I’ll always help him Gracie, whenever he needs me.”

Steve disconnected the call, and moved quickly to Danny. Squatting down at his side, he put a tentative hand on Danny’s shoulder.

“Rachel?” he asked gently.

“Rachel’s mother called.” The phone slipped from his hand onto the tiles. “Wanted to know if I was happy now. She said that now I got my way.”

“What happened to Rachel?”

“She’s dead.” Danny spoke flatly. “Pulmonary Embolism. A blood clot, or something. I don’t even know what the fuck that means.”

“We’ll find out. When did it happen?” Steve moved to sit beside Danny and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him in close.

“A few hours ago. Just after we spoke to Monkey I think.” Danny pressed his face into Steve’s chest, his breathing uneven as he struggled with his grief. “I’ve got to go to Grace, she won’t understand. Matthew, too, he won’t have anyone, he’ll be hungry.”

Steve tightened his arm around Danny. “Calm down, I’m sure they’ll sort out formula for him. We’ll get through this. I'll go with you. I’ll ring Kono right now and get her to organize us a couple of tickets. We’ll go there, we’ll organize the funeral and sort things out, and then we’ll bring the kids back here for a holiday until we work out what we're going to do.”

“You can’t go all that way, you’re hurt.” Danny mumbled, his hand moving to brush across the dressing still on his side.

“I'll manage. I'd have been back at work soon anyway." He turned Danny's chin and looked into his eyes. "I can’t not come, Danny. I need to be wherever you are, and you can't do this on your own.”

“The last time I spoke to her we were fighting,” Danny murmured.

“Danny, she knew you loved her,” Steve whispered against his hair. “She knew.”

Danny wrapped his arms around Steve’s torso, his body trembling as he finally released the tears that had threatened to choke him since the call. Steve held him close, rocking him gently, keeping him safe for now. He'd give him five minutes and then he'd start making phone calls and packing.

Somehow, together, they’d get through this.


End file.
